We have the answers to Australia's most Googled beauty questions of 2016

It's hard to imagine life before Google - especially in the midst of a skin, hair or make-up related emergency.

Be it a broken powder blush, a smokey eye gone wrong or a skin situation that just will not sort itself out, Google is where we turn when we need a beauty solution, stat (FYI - you'll usually find the answers on this very site, too).

Google has shared with us the top five most searched beauty how-to's of 2016 - and we've got all the answers. Read and learn.

1. How to Braid Hair

Learning to braid is one of those life skills that stays with you forever, and once you have the basic French braid downpat you've opened a whole new world of styling opportunities. Braids are versatile and once mastered can take you anywhere from the gym to the beach to red carpet (hey, a girl can dream).

Start with three strands of hair in lieu of a plait and after your first two crossovers, start adding more hair to your sections each time you add to the braid until your whole head is involved (or just the sections you want braided). Master your hand positioning and voila! You're an expert.

2. How to get rid of blackheads

Blackheads occur when a build-up of dead skin cells and oil blocks your pores and turns black upon contact with the air. If your skin isn't super-sensitive, cleansers or scrubs containing salicylic acid or AHAs are good choices, or book in for regular extraction facials if you're in need of professional help. To minimise the appearance of pores, try the Benefit Pore-fessional Face Primer, $53.

3. How to clean your makeup brushes

When was the last time you washed your make-up brushes? Brushes are breeding grounds for bacteria and can accumulate dirt, oil and make-up residue, so it's important for your skin that you clean them regularly.

"Brushes are like hair, so a delicate shampoo, or soap for washing is fine," suggests Laura Mercier head of artistry Anne Salem. "Lay your brushes flat to dry after reshaping them once rinsed - laying them flat means the water doesn't run into the neck where the brush is bound, and rot the glue."

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4. How to remove acrylic nails

Soak cotton wool balls in nail polish remover and place them on each fingernail, before securing with strips of aluminium foil. Leave on for half an hour, then you should be able to easily remove the acrylics. Gently file away any residue.

5. How to grow your hair fast

Some women are blessed with lush, long locks and others, sadly, are not. If you spend your time envying Rapunzel-type tresses, there are a few things you can do: invest in a good quality shampoo and put down the hot tools to reduce damage, and load up on hair-loving ingredients like omega-3s (found in eggs and salmon), zinc (oysters) and selenium (nuts).